Trauma on duty: Cognitive functioning in police officers with and without posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) [Trauma durante el servicio: Funcionamiento cognitivo en oficiales de policía con y sin Trastorno de Estrés Postraumático (TEPT)] [任职创伤:有无创伤后应激障碍 (PTSD) 的警官的认知功能]

Auteurs

Alexandra Bisson Desrochers, Department of Psychology, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada, Psychosocial Research Division, Douglas Mental Health University Institute Research Center, Montréal, QC, Canada
Isabelle Rouleau, Department of Psychology, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
Andréanne Angehrn, Department of Psychology, Université du Québec àTrois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, QC, Canada
Helen-Maria Vasiliadis, Department of Community Health Science, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
Daniel Saumier, Psychosocial Research Division, Douglas Mental Health University Institute Research Center, Montréal, QC, Canada
Alain Brunet, Psychosocial Research Division, Douglas Mental Health University Institute Research Center, Montréal, QC, Canada, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada

Type de document

Études primaires

Année de publication

2021

Langue

Anglais

Titre de la revue

European Journal of Psychotraumatology

Résumé

Background: Neuropsychological alterations co-occur with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD); yet, the nature and magnitude of such alterations in police officers remains unknown despite their high level of trauma exposure.

Objective: The current research sought to examine (1) cognitive functioning among police officers with and without PTSD; (2) the clinical significance of their cognitive performance; and (3) the relationship between PTSD symptoms and cognition.

Method: Thirty-one police officers with PTSD were compared to thirty age- and sex-matched trauma-exposed officers without PTSD. Clinical assessment and self-report questionnaires established PTSD status. All participants underwent a neuropsychological evaluation. Results: Police officers with PTSD displayed lower cognitive performance across several domains, notably executive functioning, verbal learning and memory, and lexical access, compared to controls. The neuropsychological decrements in the PTSD group were mild compared to normative data, with average performances falling within normal limits. Among officers with PTSD, higher levels of intrusion symptoms were associated with reduced efficacy in executive functioning, as well as attention and working memory. Moreover, increased intrusion and avoidance symptoms were associated with slower information processing speed.

Conclusion: Considering that even mild subclinical cognitive difficulties may affect their social and occupational functioning, it appears important to integrate neuropsychological assessments in the clinical management of police officers diagnosed with PTSD. © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Mots-clés

Stress post-traumatique, Posttraumatic stress, Police, Police force

Numéro de projet IRSST

2015-0029

Citation recommandée

Bisson Desrochers, A., Rouleau, I., Angehrn, A., Vasiliadis, H.-M., Saumier, D. et Brunet, A. (2021). Trauma on duty: Cognitive functioning in police officers with and without posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 12(1), article 1959117. https://doi.org/10.1080/20008198.2021.1959117